Patient support systems are well known in the art for providing therapy to a patient. A typical patient support apparatus comprises a mattress having a plurality of air bladders for supporting the patient, a percussion device that alternates inflation and deflation of air bladders to provide percussion and vibration therapy to the patient, and a rotation device, usually positioned beneath the mattress, to rotate the patient from side to side. Percussion, vibration, and rotation therapy assist in reducing bed sores and pulmonary problems.
One example of such an apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,096 to Bartlett et al. Bartlett et al. discloses a patient support apparatus comprising a mattress having a percussion device with a plurality of selectively inflatable and deflatable air bladders to provide percussion therapy to a patient. Bartlett et al. also discloses an independent rotation device comprising two selectively inflatable and deflatable air bladders lying longitudinally beneath the mattress to provide rotation therapy to the patient. A controller including an operator input panel and display is used to control the percussion and rotation devices. The input panel includes a plurality of raised buttons for advancing through rotation and percussion functions and adjusting parameters associated with the rotation and percussion functions.
The prior art, however, fails to provide a mattress having multiple therapeutic devices for carrying out multiple therapeutic functions with a controller having a touch-screen display that is segmented into a main menu portion and a data window portion to easily select between the therapeutic functions. The prior art also fails to provide a touch-screen display that allows an operator to change a display language, to select between multiple alarm styles, or to quickly access a therapy history screen that recalls the therapies performed by the mattress in rolling 12-hour or 24-hour increments. In addition, the prior art fails to disclose a system for automatically activating a backlight of the touch-screen display as an operator approaches the touch-screen display.
Prior art patient support systems having multiple therapeutic devices are often used in conjunction with adjustable hospital bed frames. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,628 to Kummer et al., a hospital bed frame that is capable of being adjusted between a flat bed position and a chair position is used to support a mattress having a rotation device to provide rotation therapy to a patient. In Kummer et al., an angle sensor is attached to a foot end of the hospital bed frame to determine when the patient is adjusting the hospital bed frame to the chair position. In the event that rotation therapy is being conducted simultaneously, a controller automatically shuts down the rotation device to prevent injury to the patient.
The prior art, however, fails to provide an angle sensor supported by the mattress for determining an angle of a head end portion of the mattress relative to a horizontal reference. Furthermore, the prior art fails to disclose a control system that restricts rotation therapy to a predetermined moderate rotation angle when the head end portion is elevated to fall within a predetermined range.
The mechanisms used in percussion and rotation devices to carry out percussion, vibration, and rotation therapy typically include components such as AC or DC motors, pumps, solenoid valves, motor-controlled valves, electronic circuitry, and the like. As a result, heat builds-up in and around these devices, particularly when these devices are enclosed for purposes of safeguarding the devices from patients and hospital personnel. The prior art, however, fails to provide a patient support apparatus with a temperature control system for monitoring operating temperatures and adjusting operation of the therapy devices accordingly.